what other self defense books are good once I finish the one I'm reading

[Paul_D]

No list is complete without Dead or Alive: The Definitive Self Protection Handbook by Geoff Thompson.

I have used the skills I learnt from this book numerous times to diffuse or take charge of situations before they have escalated, and even my wife has used the skills to stop a situation in it's tracks when she was begin sized up as a potential victim.

It's covers pretty much most things, how the sorts of people we want to avoid operate and how they select victims (And therefore what lessons are learned on how to avoid them), what will happen to you physically before during and after a situation (adrenalin dump for example), it covers how to deal with eye contact challengers, it has interviews with muggers etc.

 

[Tez3]

No list is complete without Dead or Alive: The Definitive Self Protection Handbook by Geoff Thompson.

I have used the skills I learnt from this book numerous times to diffuse or take charge of situations before they have escalated, and even my wife has used the skills to stop a situation in it's tracks when she was begin sized up as a potential victim.

It's covers pretty much most things, how the sorts of people we want to avoid operate and how they select victims (And therefore what lessons are learned on how to avoid them), what will happen to you physically before during and after a situation (adrenalin dump for example), it covers how to deal with eye contact challengers, it has interviews with muggers etc.

Damn! You got there before me lol. Geoff Thompson's books are always a good read.

On the subject of reading v martial arts, that's just silly. Reading helps round out a person, you cannot be training MA all the time anyway. Reading about other peoples experiences even if you can't or don't use anything from that book cannot ever be wrong. Sometimes you can read something and thing 'no that's just wrong' or it can be a light bulb moment. So read away.

 

[RTKDCMB]

Deadly Karate blows - The medical implications by Brian Adams (not the singer).

 

[ShortBridge]

...

I was taught this way. I will suggest my next generation this way too. MA is for doing. It's not for reading or talking.

I can appreciate that you were taught that way and from a standpoint of learning a system (forms, techniques, etc) I agree with you.

I suggest that you read Strong on Defense and Meditations on Violence. They may not be what you think. Personal safety is something different than knowing a martial art. They are complimentary, not redundant or contradictory.

I would also put those two books at the top of this list along with The Gift of Fear (but for different reasons and maybe different people). Lawrence Kane is also a fine author on this subject (and a do'er).

 

[jks9199]

I've been reading another book I'd recommend for self defense reading, though it's aimed more at the military or cops. Lots of the material is still applicable with some tweaking to civilian self defense. The book is Left of Bang. It focuses on some of the material used in the USMC Combat Hunter Program to profile developing dangerous situations.

 

[EddieCyrax]

What's the difference between a scholar and a MAist?

When a

- scholar takes a 10 questions test, he starts from Q1 and works to Q10. When he has problem with Q6, he can skip it. work on Q7 first. After he has finished Q10, he can then go back to Q6.
- knife is stabbing toward a MAist's chest, he has only 1/4 second to react whether he will be alive or dead.

MA is not how much that you know in your head. MA is how much that you can do on your body. Unless you have developed some "door guarding" skill to defend your life, to read some books won't be able to help you in the long run.

I was taught this way. I will suggest my next generation this way too. MA is for doing. It's not for reading or talking.

Why would one train the body thousands of hours and ignore the mind......Training both are of equal importance.... just me $0.02

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Why would one train the body thousands of hours and ignore the mind......Training both are of equal importance.... just me $0.02

It's not the mind. It's the "speed". The "speed" is important for MA but it may not be that important for scholar.

 

[EddieCyrax]

It's not the mind. It's the "speed". The "speed" is important for MA but it may not be that important for scholar.

Why not both? I train for speed/strength/technique/etc, yet also read extensively. The physical skills only apply if the non-physical fails. Even then without fully understanding the legal ramifications of a physical confrontation one could find themselves on the wrong side of the bars.

Recognize in the USA, a plea of "Self Defense" is an admission of breaking the law. It is a claim that you were justified in breaking the law that 12 individuals, that you never met and were no where near the conflict, get to score you on.

 

[ShortBridge]

...

Recognize in the USA, a plea of "Self Defense" is an admission of breaking the law. It is a claim that you were justified in breaking the law that 12 individuals, that you never met and were no where near the conflict, get to score you on.

This in itself is an interesting and complex topic. "Scaling Force" by Lawrence Kane and Rory Miller covers it pretty well.

 

[BMhadoken]

Marc MacYoung is releasing a new book, In the Name of Self Defense, (available in some formats now, more coming soon, check Amazon, etc.) which I've read excerpts of

It's on Amazon ebook, I'm reading it now. It's very long and beefy (about an hour a day for 2 weeks and I'm still not done), but it is loaded with good information.

He touches some of Rorys classifications of violence but advises you just read those books. Most of the book is about dealing with the legal system, what legally is and is not self defense in the US, and how to conduct yourself in the lead up to a violent confrontation in a way that legitimizes your SD claim (and coincidently helps you avoid most of those headaches to begin with.) I'd definitely recommend it as required reading for anyone training for self defense.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Yes, In The Name Of Self Defense by Marc MacYoung is a must read.

 

[Tames D]

'Real World Self Defense' by Jerry Vancook is a good book.

'Defending Against an Attack in a Movie Theater' by P.W. Herman is a book I haven't read but hear is good. It may be out of print.

 

[Zero]

MA is for doing. It's not for reading. If you can do this, you don't need to read any self defense books. You will let others to worry about how to defend against you.

For all the reasons Chris has said, this is misleading on so many levels and not sure how helpful to new comers to fighting, martial arts or simply wanting informative material....That said, I can't help but love it and the pic so aptly used.
MA is for doing - love it. hehe!
"My Self Defence is letting others worry about me"

And I guess in some weird, warped merger of comic book lore and reality that there is some truth in the statement that if you do happen to be like Drudge Dredd (there are a few real humans out there close to him, I have known one myself) and can put your gauntleted fist through some bad dudes head like that. Well then, who needs to waste their time reading on MA - you "are" MA.

 

[BMhadoken]

If you can put your fist through someones head you should seriously consider making sure that doing so isn't going to saddle you with 15 to life.

Books aren't for learning about martial arts. That's what your training is for. The books fill the holes in your training.